New VVIP planes: Replacements for aged Air India One to arrive this month

Jan 8, 2018

Boeing will deliver two brand new B-777 to Air India this month, which will be used as the next VVIP planes for being flown by the president, VP and prime minister on their medium to long foreign trips. Once retrofitted with state-of-the-art security and communication systems, these two will replace the over 27-year-old Boeing 747 jumbo jets which have flying our top VVIPs across the globe. Making these planes fit for this high security duty will take about a year.

"The government is deciding who will operate these two B 777-300 extended range as AI, which as the pilots, engineers and expertise for operating this type of aircraft, is soon going to be sold off. A call will be taken if the Indian Air Force (IAF) should have the planes in its fleet with the required infrastructure," said a senior government official.

So it remains to be seen if our VVIP plane is known as IAF 1 or AI 1. Till that call is taken, these planes could be sent to Boeing in US for VVIP retrofitting and high-end security fixtures like anti-missile systems apart from latest communication equipment so that they can serve as flying PMOs when the PM is on board.

About two years back it was decided that post-modification, these planes will be handed over to IAF which would have then operated them with technical support of AI. Then there was a rethink on this as AI has the pilots, engineering and expertise for operating the Boeing 777s, and it was felt these aircraft should remain with AI once they are converted as VVIP jets.

The old Boeing 747s being used today for long international flights by the PM are perfectly safe to fly but due to their advanced age, they are fuel guzzlers. They also cannot fly long-haul routes like India-US nonstop and do so with a stop in Europe. AI has four B-747s of which two are kept for VVIP flying. _________________

Air India is set to take the delivery of the first of the two B777 aircraft, which will be used to fly the VVIPs, on January 24. A team of pilots along with some senior ministry officials will be flying to the Seattle facility of plane maker Boeing via San Francisco on January 20 for this purpose, an airline source close to the development told PTI.

The induction of the two Boeing 777-300ERs will replace the over 25-year-old jumbo jets, B747-400s - which are currently used to ferry president, vice president and prime minister. The new aircraft, however, will be put to use only around July-August as the planes will immediately be sent back to the US for retrofit after the completion of registration formalities, the source said.

The retrofitting is expected to cost the nation around over Rs 1,100 crore. "A team comprising four pilots -- two senior commanders and two first officers -- along with some senior ministry officials will leave for San Francisco on January 20 from where they will fly to Seattle," the source said.

They will fly back on 24 after taking the delivery and the new aircraft will arrive here on the eve of the Republic Day, the source said. "These planes, however, will go back to the US for modification, which will take at least six months to complete," the source said._________________

Air India today took the delivery of its latest Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, which will be one of the two new planes to be used for VVIP purposes. This aircraft is among the last three Boeing 777 aircraft remaining from an order of 68 Boeing aircraft placed by the national carrier in 2006.

The plane took off from Everett in Washington at 12pm local time and landed in Delhi at 7.31pm, completing its journey in a "record" 14 hours and 10 minutes, according to Air India.

Two more Boeing 777s will be brought by Air India in January and February, two of which will be used for VVIP purposes and one will be inducted into the fleet of the national carrier.

Today's flight operated under a special number AI 160. The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft has been registered as VT-ALV.

The planes meant for VVIP use will be retrofitted, and the disinvestment-bound Air India has sought loans worth over Rs. 1,100 crore for their modification._________________

The Boeing 777 that will soon replace the ageing VVIP jumbo jets used by the president, VP and PM on long-haul journeys has created a record by reaching Delhi in the fastest time for any commercial nonstop flying from the west coast of US to India — just over 14 hours. Air India on Wednesday decided to fly the B-777 (VT-ALV) from Boeing's Seattle factory to India over the Pacific and Northern Russia, instead of the usual route it always takes over the Atlantic.

While this routing normally has adverse headwinds, being shorter by almost 1,000 km and favourable winds that day led to AI operations department deciding on this way. As a result, the future VIP aircraft reached Delhi in just 14 hours and 10 minutes on Wednesday. Flying the Atlantic route takes anywhere between 15 and 16 hours.

The record time taken by this flight has now led AI to contemplate flying its nonstop from San Francisco (SFO) to Delhi also on this route on favourable wind days, cutting the travel time from an average 16-17 hours of this popular flight — the only nonstop between India and west coast of US — to less than 15 hours.

"We saved close to $6,000 in fuel and overflying expenses, apart from shaving off flying time, while bringing the B-777 from Seattle to India on Wednesday. We flew over Northern Russia. We may now take this route on SFO-Delhi sector when wind direction is favourable for flying west to India," said a senior AI official.

On Delhi-SFO route, AI flies east over the Pacific and returns over the Atlantic. This is done to make use of favourable tailwinds — winds blowing in the same direction as the aircraft flying and making it go faster — all the way and save both fuel and time. Now AI SFO-Delhi may also be over the Pacific to cut expenses and flying time whenever wind flow direction is favourable for that routing.

Apart from VT-ALV, AI is to get one more B 777-300 extended range (ER) this month which will be used as the next VVIP planes, replacing the over 25-year-old Jumbo Jets India's top dignitaries currently fly for long journeys. These planes will be retrofitted by Boeing with the most modern security and communication systems and are expected to be ready for use in less than two years. The future AI-1 or IAF-1 (depending on who maintains and operates VVIP aircraft once AI is privatised) has already created its first record by flying from Seattle to Delhi in just over 14 hours.

"The plane has come with normal passenger seating. The modalities is being worked out if it goes for retrofitting right away; by whom, meaning AI or IAF; and if it could be used by AI for some time," said another official._________________

India’s first set of brand new planes for the prime minister, president and vice-president will be customised and be ready for use by early 2020, senior government officials said.

Two Boeing 777-300 ERs, bought by Air India recently, will be retrofitted to have VIP enclosures, a press conference room and a patient transport unit for medical emergencies. The aircraft will also be equipped with Wi-Fi on board and have anti-missile protection, a senior official said.

A Boeing 777 unlike the older Boeing 747, which were borrowed from Air India as and when a VVIP visited overseas, can fly non-stop to the US, thereby dispensing with the need to halt for refuelling. In February and March, Air India inducted three Boeing 777 aircraft, completing an order of 68 planes placed with the aerospace major in 2006. Two of these three planes will be set aside exclusively for VVIP use.

“The government will buy these aircraft from Air India,” a senior official told PTI on the condition of anonymity. An aircraft exclusively for VVIPs—such as the president, vice-president and prime minister—will mean that Air India will no more have to ground aircraft from its fleet for special flights and re-configure them to include VIP enclosures, a press conference room etc for these operations.

Earlier, during the budget announcement for the next fiscal, the government had set aside an amount of Rs4,469.50 crore for the purchase of these aircraft from Air India. Officials in the know say that the amount would cover the cost of the plane, their retro-fitment, the cost of a spare engine as well as a special equipment box list or spare parts that need to be mandatorily onboard an aircraft.

The two planes will return to Boeing’s facility in the US on 1 June and 30 June to undergo overhauling which will take 18 months. The Indian Air Force is also negotiating with the US government for a special protection suite or anti-missile protection for these planes, it is reliably learnt.

Air India will prepare a pool of 44 pilots for VVIP operations, four of whom will always be on standby and stationed in Delhi. There will also be a dedicated team of engineers and cabin crew. To a question on how would privatisation of Air India effect deployment of pilots and cabin crew for the VVIP flights, a senior airline official said that the government is yet to finalise its decision on the matter._________________